Boat House of Cape Coral - BIG Problems

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Boat House of Cape Coral - BIG Problems

I was just introduced to this bulletin board by a friend who suggested I post a message after I shared my recent poor experience with a boat dealer so I could warn others and also get suggestions from more experienced boaters about the situation I'm faced with.

Unfortunately I am starting my membership here with a really BIG problem with a boat I purchased from the Boat House of Cape Coral, Florida.

I would definitely appreciate any suggestions and responses from more experienced boaters.

So here is what has happened:

I purchased a used boat (a 2004 Polar 2010 Bay with 2004 Yamaha F150 engine) in October of 2011 from the Boat House of Cape Coral.

At the time of purchase I received a computer print out from Al Lewis, the Sales Manager at the Boat House showing the total engine hours as 729.

Fast forward 5 months. I took the boat to my local marina for service. When this marina connected the engine to their computer, they found it had in fact 1079 hours.

I asked them for the printout and when I compared it at home, I found that not only were the engine hours completely different, the ECM number on the download was different and it seems the documentation provided by the Boat House at the time of purchase was completely for a different engine!

Later on that day the marina called me to let me know what the engine problem was. It had a blown powerhead gasket but also wanted me to come look at what caused it. After they pulled the powerhead off, they found that both the powerhead and adapter plate it bolts to were "burnt through" and that the powerhead had this issue before and it was patched with JB Weld type of product but that since it had probably warped the powerhead the surface was no longer true so it of course would fail again.

Pictures of the engine are attached, including the JB Weld type of repair.

They have since provided me with an estimate for repairs including new powerhead and adapter plate for over $10,000.

I would have NEVER EVER purchased this boat had they provided me with documentation showing the true hours on the engine.

But being an honest person, I wanted to give Mr Al Lewis at the Boat House an opportunity to address the situation.

I also was completely honest with Mr Lewis letting him know the situation fully. I could have just bolted the powerhead back together with a new gasket like the previous "repair" and then talked to him about it, but that's not the kind of person I am.

Mr Lewis offered, without even having one of his technicians look at the engine to put a rebuilt powerhead on it for $6000 at my cost. He did not address the issue of the adapter plate, which I am sure would have only increased the cost.

Mr Lewis also offered to exchange the F150 4 Stroke which I purchased with an used 2-stroke engine plus me pay parts & labor for install and give him the F150 engine back.

I am wondering if anyone else has had an issue where the dealer they purchased a boat from provided documentation with the wrong engine hours, and whether that dealer resolved the issue to their satisfaction?

If anyone did that to me... my first move would be to hire a competent attorney. That doesn't mean that you'll win but you've been swindled, plain and simple if the facts are as stated. Good luck and hope it works out for you.

I ma not sure but the local states attorney should have an office and someone who handles this type of complaint. One question did you use the boat and did it run correctly? 729 or 1079 hours is nothing in hours on a 2004 engine?

I did not see the pics the first time I looked at this thread. I would contact Mr. Lewis again and see if he would like to seee the pics and if there is anything else he would like to do before you proceed to an attorney. I know the sales guy( not Lewis) very well for them and I will let him know that this thread is posted here.

Thank you all for your responses and advice. Once I have reached a resolution, I will update this message so you all know how it worked out.

I do have one update right now. When I spoke to Yamaha Motor Corporation today after they returned my email I sent to their president, I learned that the less powerful Yamaha C130 2 stroke engine offered for replacement by the Boat House "was not offered for sale in the US" - they never sold that model in the US.

bsh102 - I did show Mr Lewis the pictures when I met with him in his office. The cost of repair is expensive, but that is the actual estimated cost to replace the powerhead, adapter and labor and I wanted to include that here to be completely accurate in my description of events. I have offered Mr Lewis a number of opportunities to provide a resolution to bring us to a point where I received what I paid for at the time of purchase.

Larry - I know some people think 1079 hours is "nothing" on this type of engine, but at the amount of usage on an average annual basis the difference of 350 hours could equate to 3-5 years of operation. I would also never even have gone to look at the boat had the hours been stated correctly, let alone purchased it. Some people also will say that 120,000 miles on X brand of car is nothing, but to me I would never even consider purchasing something with that amount of miles.

swflboatman - Whether there is a warranty or not is irrelevant to the fact the engine was not represented accurately with the documentation from the dealer which resulted in the sale. It was either an egregious mistake or intentional misleading or fraud, and any reputable dealership with strong ethics would go above and beyond to make sure the customer is treated right.

I think you are moving in the right direction and this will most likely end up as a court case. You purchased an item that you truly did not receive...they simply need to compensate you accordingly with either a comparable engine with similar hours fully mounted and ready to run or $$$. I will make sure to not consider Boat House in the future!

Sir, we are sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your motor after only 6 months of use. Please present your warranty card to us and we will be happy to remedy your problem. It appears to be an abuse problem from not flushing the motor and is not necessarily an hours driven problem.Looks like the previous owner had 8 years to create that damage. Sorry for the inconvenience.

However, if your boat was purchased on an "as-is" basis at a wholesale discount we can not be held liable. Buyer beware no matter where you buy it after 8 years in salt water.

Sir, we are sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your motor after only 6 months of use. Please present your warranty card to us and we will be happy to remedy your problem. It appears to be an abuse problem from not flushing the motor and is not necessarily an hours driven problem.Looks like the previous owner had 8 years to create that damage. Sorry for the inconvenience.

However, if your boat was purchased on an "as-is" basis at a wholesale discount we can not be held liable. Buyer beware no matter where you buy it after 8 years in salt water.

Sir, we are sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your motor after only 6 months of use. Please present your warranty card to us and we will be happy to remedy your problem. It appears to be an abuse problem from not flushing the motor and is not necessarily an hours driven problem.Looks like the previous owner had 8 years to create that damage. Sorry for the inconvenience.

However, if your boat was purchased on an "as-is" basis at a wholesale discount we can not be held liable. Buyer beware no matter where you buy it after 8 years in salt water.

Irrelevant.

The word you're looking for is "FRAUD".

The plain and simple fact is that the original poster did not receive the engine which he was led to believe he had purchased. Period.

If I purchase a Porsche in an "as is" condition and it turns out that the internal guts of the motor turn out to be from a VW, guess what: That "as is" clause wouldn't apply as I purchased a Porsche engine "as is" not a "VW" engine.

What happened here is fraud. Guilt-by-omission, if you will. That's illegal and it's a crime.